And those who strive hard for Us, We will most certainly guide them in Our ways; and Allah is most surely with the doers of good. 29:69 The Quran

MNS Volte Face

Dr. Syed Javed

This is exactly how politicians in Pakistan are supposed to muddle up. They cruise along sprouting their ill-fated animosities expecting the nation to suffer their rancour, jealousy and distrust of each other with priestly patience and persisting tolerance.

Nawaz Sharif’s Press conference a day before the constitutional amendment package was to be presented before the House could not have been more ill-timed and in bad taste.

The work of constitutional amendment committee, after more than 66 sessions, was cut short and the labour of toiling lawmakers doing the rounds for the last more than nine months went down the drain: quite unceremonious misrecognition of their services to the nation. And this too at the hands of a leader who claims to have no parochial leanings. Mr Sharif could not live with feathers in PPP’s cap. Nawaz Sharief, Prime Minister of PakistanIn the last two years he has been bashing Zardari for not undoing the 17th amend-ment which he considers as legacy of the worst dictator Pakistan ever had. This despite the fact that many a people in Pakistan still believe Zia, his mentor, as worse than Musharraff on many counts. What caught everybody nonplussed was not his ill-timed blabbering. It was the forum he had picked up.

One wonders why his two lieutenants on the Constitutional Reform Committee, doing rounds with all in-house political parties represented there to remodel the constitution, could not brief their leader properly so that he could hold his horses and refrain from indulging in his penchant for surprises to the nation in bad taste.

Both excuses which he has presented to the nation to forestall the unanimous presentation of the Constitutional Amendment Bill in the Parliament are lousy and untenable. His naivety was well exposed as he had all along been demanding annulment of 17th amendment ignoring the fact that he was talking about not an ordinary law but constitution of the country and that not all injunctions of the 17th Amendment were under question.The nation lived with his demand of blanket rejection of 17th amendment and ignored it all the time. But now when after proper study and thoughtful brooding, in conjunction with the joint efforts of all the political parties represented in the parliament, the result was within its reach, Sharief has thrown a spanner into it. What he intended to gain out of it is everybody’s guess.

But what he got in return is a lot of criticism from all quarters. Not a single political party has supported PML (N) over the issues of judges as well as the naming of the NWFP. He stands alone and with Punjab behind him to certain extant he stands tall as a Punjabi leader.

Had his concerns, as expressed in front of the media, been genuine he would have gone to the proper forum through his acolytes where everyone was all ears and wanted a consensus which he has destroyed so callously.

Former President Asif Ali Zardari

On the day of the press conference it was the composition of the judicial commission as well as the naming of the NWFP but later as a second thought while writing its dissenting note the PML-N added transfer of some federal powers to the provinces, including preparation of curriculum, syllabus, planning, policy and standards of education.

One wonders what Ishaq Dar and Ahsan Iqbal were doing all these months in the committees if things were to come out in the open this way. Mr. Sharief has a knack for keeping everyone guessing. Yet another bombshell is in the form of his uncanny demand for the exclusion of Babar Awan, Federal Minister of Law, from the Judicial Commission. It is hugely reflective of his myopic vision of state institutions. If his disliking for a certain person is going to weaken an institution then only Shariefcan live with that.

He has simply ignored the fact that the Judicial Commission will certainly outlive the Law minister as well as Honourable Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhari. Further he has been demanding the implementation of the Charter of Democracy which calls for the inclusion of the Law minister in the Judicial Commission.

According to the Charter of Democracy the recommendations for appointment of judges to superior judiciary are to be formulated through a commission comprising chairman, who will be the chief justice of Pakistan, chief justices of provincial high courts, vice chairmen of Pakistan Bar Council and provincial bar council with respect to the appointment of judges to their concerned province, the President ofSupreme Court Bar Association, the Presidents of High Court Bar Associations of Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, and Quetta with respect to justices nomination to their concerned province, the Federal Law Minister and the Attorney General of Pakistan.

Nawaz Sharief with Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Chief of JUI

Of course the new formation of the Commission is not in letter and in spirit of the CoD. Then the CoD is a political document signed by the PPP and the PML (N). Many other political parties were not taken on board hence cannot be called upon to accept the document.

Therefore, both the PPP as well as the PML (N) will have to show some flexibility to take all other political forces on board to steer the country out of its present malaise and not exploit the situation as Mr Sharif has done for political mileage.

Our politicians have to be extra vigilant regarding their acts of omissions and commissions. They have in Pakistan Army their rival compatriots to vie for political powers. Fortunately, the current leadership of Pakistan Army has no liking for politics which opens a window of opportunity for politicians to grow up and handle themselves maturely. They are the right and the only people to provide leadership to the nation and should not botch-up as in the past.

Information

The nation lived with his demand of blanket rejec-tion of 17th amendment and igno-red it all the time. But now when after proper study and thoughtful brooding, in conjunction with the joint efforts of all the political parties represen-ted in the parliament, the result was within its reach, Sharief has thrown a spanner into it. What he intended to gain out of it is everybody’s guess.﻿﻿

First appeared in Pakistan Observer on﻿ Feburary 01, 2010.﻿﻿﻿

Painting of Benazir Bhutto with Bilawal Bhutto in her lap. Bilawal Bhutto is now Chairman of Pakistan People Party PPP that is oneof the three largest political parties in Pakistan today.